The present invention relates to a window glass edging material provided for a door of a vehicle such as an automobile or the like, which allows the window glass to be opened and closed (i.e. lowered and raised) in a light, smooth and stable manner, and which provides for proper draining. This invention also relates to a method for manufacturing the edging material.
A window glass for the door of a vehicle is usually opened and closed repeatedly for purposes of ventilation. Consequently, it should be possible to conduct the opening and closing operations for the window glass easily and so that a tight fit is maintained. Thus, there has recently been proposed and generally employed a window glass edging material comprising a guide edging member and a press edging member, and which is molded generally from a flexible component such as a flexible synthetic resin or the like to provide for light (or easy) opening and closing of the window glass. The guide edging member which has been used has had a material having either nylon fiber or the like fixed opposing edges of the supporting tongues of the guide edging member which touch the upper edge of the window glass, or a fluoro-synthetic resin tape containing molybdenum fixed by an adhesive at a place where the guide edging member presses against the upper edge of the window glass.
The press edging member, on the other hand, has been used with the above-mentioned material having nylon fibers or fluoro-synthetic resin provided on opposing upper and lower contacting pieces slidably press against opposing sides of the window glass.
However, while these guiding edging members and drain edging members have allowed the window glass to make satisfactory engagement therewith and disengagement therefrom for a smoother opening and closing operation thereof, a very complex process is required for implanting the fibers and a very troublesome process is required for applying an adhesive to the fiber portion, such that the overall process is rather impractical. Moreover, repeated opening and closing of the window glass and penetration of rainwater and the like make the implanted fibers bend down and/or wear to such an extent that they are no longer as effective as expected.
Particularly in this connection, in order to make use of the synthetic resin tape for the edge guiding material, there are numerous troublesome procedures necessary in adhesively fixing the synthetic resin tape onto the pressure tongues as well as into a very complex inside portion into which the upper edge of the window glass is inserted. Furthermore, the synthetic resin tape usually cannot be bonded on complex curved portions or cornered surfaces, i.e. other than a planar surface, such as opposed edge supporting tongues as referred to above, and the like. This is a drawback fatal to the process.
The guide edging member and press edging member each comprise a flexible component such as a flexible synthetic resin, synthetic rubber, or the like arranged to press against opposing sides of the glass window as the window slides therebetween. While the press edging pressing member is remarkably waterproof because the member is closely pressed toward each side of the glass, this makes the opening and closing operation of the window glass heavy and difficult because of the strong pressing force and may eventually cause the window handle portion to become broken and make the draining ineffective. These are among the major defects of the prior art.